Borobudur

We both arrived in Yogyakarta and took a cab to Megalang where we had an hotel booked, 15min from Borobudur. We woke up early to fully enjoy the sunrise on this incredible buddhist piramid. Full of mysteries, Borobudur is the world’s largest Buddhist temple. It consists of 9 stacked platforms, 6 square and 3 circular, topped by a central dome. It’s decorated with 2 672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. The central dome is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues, each seated inside a perforated stupa (kind of bells). They estimate its construction from the 9th century, but there are no known records of construction or the intended purpose of Borobudur.

Transport:
– Taxi from the airport to Megalang: 500.000 Rps for 2 people (1h30)
– Moto Taxi from the hotel to Borobudur: 40.000 Rps (15min)
– Taxi from the hotel to Prambanan and Yogyakarta train station: 400.000 Rps

Prambanan

After visiting this amazing buddhist temple in the morning, we went to the other side of Yogyakarta to visit the largest Hindu temple site in Indonesia: Prambanan (the biggest is Angkor Wat, in Cambodia). The site has suffered many earthcakes, but it’s still a beauty with crazy statues.

Bromo

We took a train from Yogyakarta to Malang where we arrived at 5am and met a taxi who agreed to pass the entire day with us, to go to Bromo and to leave us at Ketapang to take the boat to Bali. We arrived around 11am in a village close to Bromo, and met a jeep driver (you can also go there by horse or bicycle). There wasn’t so many wind so the smell of sulphur wasn’t so bad.

We had lunch in a small shop and left for Ketapang. We arrived at the end of the day, and finished our day in Ketapang to wait for the Ferry to Bali, a paradise on earth…

Bye Java, Hello Bali!

Seminyak and Tanah Lot

We took the boat with a new driver who wasn’t so friendly. We asked him to left us at Sanur and went by colectivo in Seminiak. We enjoyed a nice sunset on the beach, and rented a scooter to visit the day after Tanah Lot in the morning. The afternoon we booked a transfert from Seminiak to our hotel in Ceningan Island (with a taxi, boat, collectivo and scooter !).

Ceningan

My mother had booked a magical hostel with a gorgeous room and swimming pool. We rented a scooter to do a snorkeling tour:

After this tour we decided to visit the entire island (take approximately 1h). The day after we did a second tour with our hotel owner, and he showed us the Mangrove, devil tears, blue lagoon and other beautiful views of the island.

Snorkeling Tour:

Ceningan best spots:

Ubud

Time to go back to Bali, we booked a transfert to Ubud from our hostel. On the way the driver invited us to stop to a Luwak Coffee plantation, and to see a show of traditionnal theater.

In Ubud we enjoyed some of the temples in the heart of the city, the market very traditionnal, and the Monkey forest. Be very carrefull of your stuff, and follow the instructions, my mother has been bitten because one of the monkey wanted to steal her a bottle of water, and when you look at them in the eyes they can just attack you !

Around Ubud:

Tegalalang Rice Terrace

Situated 20min in the North of Ubud, you can just stop on the road and walk around, take a drink or even use a swing.

Tirta Empul

Only 15 minutes from the terraces you can find this magical place with holy water where you can wash a bit your soul!

Gunung Kawi

It’s a funerary complex very close to the water temple, but you’ll go down 300 steps to appreciate this site!

Goa Gajah

On the way back to Ubud you can make a stop at this Elephant cave, half Indu half Buddhist…

Amed

We found a taxi at the end of the day to go to Amed where we arrived by night. We did a nice tour in scooter and found very nice diving places like Tulamben and the USS Liberty, or the underwater temple in Pantai Jemeluk beach.

Lempuyang

The day after we took the scooter to go to Lempuyang, one of the most beautiful temple I’ve ever seen. You have there a first temple with 3 main doors, and two others hidden on the top, 45min from the first one. Lost in the nature, delivered to the monkeys, those temples are really magic. I had the chance to join a group of prayers carrying their donations.

Tirta Ganga

We also went to Tirta Ganga, a water parc very nice but also very touristic. We had lunch there but it was very small and very expensive…

Padangbai and Bezakih

Back to Amed we found a transfert to Candinasa where we just stood for one night (nothing to see there). We went to Padang Bay to fully enjoy the sea. It’s a small city full of touristic shops and with a nice port (you can go to Gili islands from there). We rented an other scooter to go to Bezakih, the most important, the largest and holiest temple of Hindu religion in Bali.

Kuta

At the end of the day we took a transfert by mini bus to Kuta.

Kuta is like Seminiak a touristic city, not much to see but big malls and restaurants with nice cocktails. We enjoyed a nice traditionnal Kecak dance show, and finished our trip by visiting Uluwatu, a temple on a cliff at the very south west of the island (nice but not so impresive).